It is a Support Gem.
Support
Physical
Tier: 3
Requires: Level 1
Support Reqirements: +5 Str
Supports any skill that Hits enemies, causing it to deal less damage but inflict more porent Bleeding.
Place into a Skill’s Support Gem socket in the Skills menu to apply its effects to that Skill. You cannot have multiple copies of the same Support Gem socketed at the same time.
The Deep Cuts Support Gem is a Tier 3 support gem in Path of Exile 2 that enhances the Bleeding effects of Physical-based attack skills. By increasing the potency of Bleeding, this gem boosts the effectiveness of damage over time through Bleed while reducing the immediate hit damage from supported skills. If you’re building around Bleed damage or damage over time, Deep Cuts offers a significant increase in the Bleeding effect, making it a powerful addition for Physical and Bleed-focused builds.
The Deep Cuts Support Gem works by enhancing the Bleeding effect caused by Physical attack skills. When you use a skill supported by this gem, the Bleeding it applies becomes 75% more effective, meaning the damage over time from the Bleed will scale significantly. However, there is a trade-off: supported skills will deal 25% less damage on hits. This trade-off makes the gem ideal for damage-over-time builds that focus on Bleeding rather than burst damage from hits.
Bleeding Effect:
The primary effect of Deep Cuts is the 75% increase in Bleeding effect. This makes Bleeding more potent and ensures that the damage over time from Bleeds will be significantly stronger. This is perfect for builds that want to inflict Bleeding and deal damage over time while ensuring they have sustained physical damage through DoTs.
Damage Trade-off:
The downside of Deep Cuts is the 25% reduction in damage with hits. This means that the supported skill will deal less direct damage on impact, but it compensates by making the Bleeding effects much more impactful. As a result, this gem is best suited for builds focused on sustained damage over burst or immediate hits, such as Bleed-focused builds or damage over time strategies.
Bleed-based Physical Builds:
If your build is centered around Bleed damage, such as those using Cleave, Lacerate, or Cyclone, the Deep Cuts gem will significantly boost your Bleed damage. Since Deep Cuts increases the Bleeding effect, it synergizes perfectly with attack skills that generate Bleed, allowing you to get the most out of the damage over time that Bleed inflicts.
Damage Over Time Builds:
For damage over time (DoT) builds, particularly those focusing on Bleed as a form of DoT, Deep Cuts is an essential gem. By enhancing the duration and effectiveness of Bleeding, it turns your physical attacks into potent damage-over-time sources, allowing you to wear down enemies over a longer period.
Ranger and Marauder Builds:
Builds focusing on physical attacks, especially those that scale with Strength, such as Marauder or Ranger (with a focus on Bleed), will benefit from Deep Cuts. These builds can stack Bleed effects with skills like Rend or Puncture, applying immense pressure over time to enemies.
Poison and Bleed Hybrid Builds:
If you are working on a hybrid Poison and Bleed build, Deep Cuts can still be useful. While Poison generally deals more damage over time, Bleed can add an additional layer of DoT effects to your enemies, complementing the other Poison damage mechanics.
Bossing Builds:
For bossing builds that can reliably apply Bleed and deal damage over time, Deep Cuts enhances the ability to maintain sustained pressure on bosses with high health pools. Even if you aren’t dealing significant hit damage, the Bleeding damage will chip away at the boss’s life over time.
Significantly Increased Bleeding Damage:
The 75% more Effect of Bleeding makes this gem invaluable for Bleed-based builds. The damage over time from Bleed becomes much stronger, ensuring that enemies affected by Bleeding will suffer from substantial sustained damage.
Synergy with Physical Damage:
If you’re scaling Physical damage through Strength or other Physical damage modifiers, Deep Cuts will work seamlessly with Bleed mechanics, making it a must-have gem for Bleed-focused Physical attack skills. It enhances the damage over time you can inflict, providing a steady source of damage even when your direct attacks deal less damage.
Tactical Bleeding Builds:
For builds that focus on strategically applying Bleed, Deep Cuts is an essential gem. It enhances the damage over time, making it easier to inflict Bleeding consistently. This is great for sustained damage strategies, particularly when you need to apply constant pressure to enemies over time.
Reduced Hit Damage:
The 25% decrease in hit damage is a significant downside. It means that you will deal less immediate damage when you land a hit, which can impact your ability to deal burst damage. If you’re playing a high-speed, hit-focused build, this gem might not offer the optimal performance, as it sacrifices hit damage for increased Bleeding damage.
Requires Bleeding to Be Effective:
The effectiveness of Deep Cuts is entirely dependent on the ability to inflict Bleeding. If your build doesn’t reliably inflict Bleeding, this gem won’t be as useful. It is best suited for attack-based builds that already focus on Bleed mechanics and physical damage scaling.
Potential Mana Issues:
Since this gem enhances Physical attack skills, some Bleed-focused builds may suffer from mana cost issues, especially when stacking several gems that modify damage output. You might need to manage your mana regeneration or find ways to mitigate the increased mana cost that comes with this gem.
Combine with Bleed-Inflicting Skills:
Pair Deep Cuts with skills that apply Bleeding frequently, such as Rend, Puncture, or Cleave. This will maximize the effect of the Bleeding damage, making it the primary source of damage over time for your build.
Focus on Scaling Physical Damage:
Since the gem reduces hit damage, ensure your build scales Physical damage as efficiently as possible. Consider utilizing Strength scaling, Physical damage modifiers, and Bleed-specific nodes to ensure your Bleeding damage remains the focus of your damage output.
Manage the Trade-off:
Be aware of the 25% reduced hit damage trade-off. Consider it a strategic choice to deal more damage over time through Bleeding, and ensure your hit damage is still potent enough for initial engagements or in situations where Bleeding is applied later.
The Deep Cuts Support Gem is a powerful addition for Physical and Bleed-based builds, enhancing Bleeding effects and providing a significant damage over time source. While it reduces the immediate hit damage from supported skills, the 75% increased Bleeding effect ensures that the Bleed damage will be substantial. It is ideal for builds focused on sustained damage and damage over time, particularly those scaling Physical damage. If you’re looking to push Bleeding as a primary damage source, Deep Cuts will enhance your Physical damage strategy and provide devastating DoT capabilities.